Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Embroidery
September 18, 2025

Larger-Than-Life Embroidery on Tulle Celebrates the Transformation in Nature and Ourselves

Textile artist Kathrin Marchenko works magic with thread and tulle. Throughout the years, she has embroidered on the netting, and the effects have made her stitches appear as if they’re floating. Combined with Marchenko’s penchant for detail and painterly approach, the style is whimsical with a dark color palette that makes her work easy to recognize. Marchenko is a prolific textile artist who experiments in a variety of ways.

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Inspiring
September 5, 2025

Bedbound 23-Year-Old Living With Chronic Illness Is Making Music People Love [Interview]

Imagine that one day you couldn’t make it out of bed. Maybe you’ve experienced that, with something like the flu. It can be miserable, but you know you’ll eventually get better and resume normal life. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if you were never able to get back to running, cooking, or even climbing the stairs? That’s the reality for those diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

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Travel
September 2, 2025

Portland Japanese Garden: The Most Authentic Japanese Garden Outside of Japan [Interview]

Nestled within Portland’s Washington Park sits a majestic garden and one of the city’s highly treasured spaces. The Portland Japanese Garden is a true gem and lauded as the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan. Encompassing 12.5 acres, the site is more than “just” a garden; it’s a place where visitors can immerse themselves in Japanese culture while enjoying and appreciating nature in all its glory.

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Photo Contest
August 28, 2025

14 Finalists From the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Wildlife photographers chronicle how creatures navigate a changing world. Their images tell a tale, whether it’s about the animal kingdom as a whole or a single story about a particular species. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest showcases the very best of this type of work, leaving us awestruck, more informed, and motivated to help protect the world where humans and animals coexist.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.